Dean, what is soy sauce?
by EmLSkywalker
Summary: Dean is trying to teach Cas about the finer things in life and one of those things just happens to be soy sauce. Short drabble, based off of a prompt that I received, slight plot twist at the end Enjoy! :) If you have the time, please let me know what you think of it.


"Dean, this is completely unnecessary."

Dean rolled his eyes for what must have been the hundredth time before pushing Castiel forward again.

"Relax, Cas. I'm just trying to teach you about the finer things in life."

"I highly doubt that a run-down food establishment qualifies."

Sam snickered as he followed behind the pair.

Dean turned his head and glared. "Something funny, Sammy?"

Sam just shook his head and smiled in response.

Dean rolled his eyes one last time as he steered Cas toward the entrance of the "run-down" little Asian restaurant that he and Sam often visited when they bothered to stay in town. If Dean was being honest, it was one of his favorite places and he actually missed it when they were forced to leave because of another hunt.

Cas opened the door to the restaurant and stepped inside hesitantly. Almost immediately, his senses were assaulted by the myriad of scents coming from the kitchen. The smells of the oil and the basil were the strongest and, if Dean was being honest, they kind of bothered him too. Cas was getting the brunt of it, though, and he reeled back, bumping into Dean in the process.

Dean smiled and put his hands on Cas' shoulders.

"Relax, Cas," he repeated, "you'll get used to it."

Dean kept his hands on Cas' shoulders as he guided Cas toward a nearby table.

Sam followed after them both with a smile on his face. It had been a very long time since Dean had seen Cas, what with the angels falling and all. Cas had deemed it necessary to stay away from the Winchesters. Why, Sam would never know, but he was glad that Cas had decided to come back; more for Dean's sake than his own. He knew that Dean was _ecstatic _to have him back. Sam also knew, deep down, that there was something more between the two than just a simple friendship.

Dean all but pushed a very reluctant Cas into the seat across from the one that he, himself, was going to take.

Sam took the seat next to Dean and Dean slowly lowered himself into the one across from Cas, keeping his eyes on him the whole time. He was afraid that Cas was going to leave. Perhaps it was irrational for him to think that, but the angel…Dean closed his eyes as he mentally corrected himself. Cas was no longer an angel. He had nearly forgotten. It came as a surprise that this fact made him…sad. He felt bad for Cas and he wished there was someway that he could help. For now, though, all he could offer the angel-turned-human was support.

When Dean finally opened his eyes again, he noticed that Cas had the same look on his face that he had had when Dean had taken him to the brothel: his ocean-blue eyes were very wide and he looked, all in all, very afraid.

Dean had a feeling that it had something to do with the fact that what they were doing was very…human.

Dean had one hand resting on top of the small, four person table and Castiel grabbed at it.

"Cas, what the hell are you-"

Dean took one look at Cas' face and stopped himself from saying anything sarcastic or biting. Cas' eyes were even wider than they had been a minute ago-Dean hadn't even thought that was possible-and they were filled with desperation. He didn't have any idea that doing something as simple as going to a little, run-down restaurant would have this effect on Cas, but it did nonetheless. As unmanly as this all seemed to him, he knew that Cas needed someone, needed him, so he kept silent.

Sam cleared his throat and Dean whipped his head around to glare at him.

"If you say one word, I swear I'll—"

Sam held both hands up in defense and smiled.

"I wasn't going to say anything, Dean."

Dean smirked before looking away from Sam.

"Good."

He fidgeted in his chair for a moment then sat up straighter. He didn't know why the whole hand holding thing was making him so uncomfortable. Maybe because he…liked it. Not maybe. He did, and it was freaking him the hell out. He had never expected Cas to initiate something like this, but, as much as it _was _freaking him out, he was eternally glad that Cas had done it.

Dean was so lost in his thoughts that when Cas squeezed his hand he nearly fell out of his chair.

"Cas…" Dean rubbed his free down his face then looked straight at Cas.

"I'm sorry, Dean. It was not my intention to startle you." Cas looked at Dean with worry very evident in his eyes. He was not utterly and irrationally afraid that Dean would take his hand away. When he didn't after another minute, Cas relaxed.

Cas looked toward the middle of the table and frowned

"Dean, what is…" Cas tilted his head and squinted his eyes in order to make sure that he was reading the two words correctly, "soy sauce?" He picked the small, glass bottle up carefully, swiveled it from side to side, and watched as the dark red contents swayed inside of it.

Sam chuckled quietly at the look on Dean's face. Usually the "bitch face" was Sam's thing, but Dean felt the need to use it in this particular instance. He could never wrap his head around the fact that Cas needed so much guidance when it came to the business of being human. It's not that he was useless or inane, it was only that, for a being that had looked after humanity for near to two thousand years, he knew little to nothing about it.

Cas eyed Dean guardedly. "I do not understand. Did I say something wrong?"

Dean sighed, squeezed Cas' hand once, and took the bottle from Cas gently.

He smiled and looked at Cas warmly.

"Let me explain."

Cas held the now-empty bottle in his hands delicately. He didn't know what he would do if it broke. After explaining to Cas what exactly soy sauce was, and letting him taste it-which, by the way, is one of the best things that he's ever tasted-Dean thought that it would be a good idea to take it. Sure, they could have easily gone to the nearest supermarket and simply bought their own, but Cas believed that Dean wanted to keep it in order to commemorate the day that Cas first experienced soy sauce.

It was coming up on five years ago now. Dean and Sam were gone; killed by a demon that Cas was-in his newly human state-unable to save them from. How he managed to get away, he couldn't remember. He had blocked most of that memory out. He set the little bottle in one of the cup holders of the Impala. Dean hadn't told Cas directly that he could keep his baby, but he was hoping that, if he could've given it to anyone besides Sam, it would've been him.


End file.
